Home Merchant Portal Close for a public holiday or special date

Close for a public holiday or special date

Last updated on Aug 27, 2026

Do not edit your weekly trading hours for a single day. Use Special Dates, which overrides the grid for that date only.

  1. Open Menu Builder.
  2. Select Special Dates in the left-hand list.
  3. Select New Date at the top right.
  4. Set the date, whether you are Available, the Available From and Available Until times, and a Surcharge if you are adding one.
  5. Save.

The screen explains its own purpose: "Use this area to enter public holidays or other special dates that affect your normal trading hours. The automatic open / close feature uses these dates to ensure that your online menu is only available when it should be."

Existing entries are listed with Special Date, Available?, Available From, Available Until and Surcharge, each with an Edit button.

The Dashboard reminder

When a public holiday is coming up in the next fortnight and you have not set hours for it, the Dashboard shows an amber banner:

REMINDER! You haven't set your trading hours for the following upcoming public holiday…

It names the holiday and links to Menu BuilderSpecial Dates. Adding the date clears the reminder. The holidays it knows about are the ones for your state and country.

Closing for the day

Set Available? to No for that date. Your store will not auto-open on it.

A different set of hours

Set Available? to Yes and give the shorter Available From and Available Until times. Customers get the reduced window rather than your usual one.

A holiday surcharge

Enter the Surcharge on the special date. It applies to that date only.

If both menus trade that day

The Preorder Menu and Catering Menu buttons at the top right of Menu Builder switch which menu you are editing, and Special Dates belong to the menu you are on. Add the date to both if both trade.